PEAR AND WALNUT BAKLAVA
This crisp, fresh take on the Greek and Turkish dessert is perfect for serving with tea or coffee. Always taste the nuts before adding them to recipes, as their natural oils can cause them to turn rancid quite quickly. Our favourite trick? Stash them away in the freezer to prolong their shelf life.
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2½ hours
Makes: 18 pieces
2 cups diced cored peeled Bosc pears (about 2)
⅔ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
3 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp each ground cinnamon and ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
6 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
¼ cup butter, melted ¾ cup finely chopped walnuts (about 115 g)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 piece (1½ inches) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
4 strips (1 inch wide) orange zest
1 tsp lemon juice In bowl, toss together pears, cranberries, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg to coat. Halve phyllo sheets crosswise; trim to fit 9-inch square cake pan. Place 1 halved phyllo sheet in bottom of pan; brush lightly with some of the butter. Repeat with 5 of the remaining halved phyllo sheets and some of the remaining butter. Sprinkle with all but 1 tbsp of the walnuts; top with pear mixture. Arrange 1 halved phyllo sheet over top; brush lightly with some of the remaining butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and butter. Using sharp knife, cut through layers to make 9 squares; halve squares diagonally to make 18 triangles. Bake in 350°F oven until phyllo is golden and pears are tender, about 45 minutes. While baklava is baking, in saucepan, cook sugar, fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ⅓ cup water over medium-
high heat, stirring, until dissolved; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in orange zest and lemon juice. Let stand until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Strain through finemesh sieve; discard solids. Pour over hot baklava; sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Let cool completely in pan, about 1 hour.
PER PIECE: about 134 cal, 2 g pro, 6 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 19 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 11 g sugar), 7 mg chol, 63 mg sodium, 60 mg potassium. % RDI: 1% calcium, 4% iron, 2% vit A, 2% vit C, 6% folate.